Elliot Popoca is one of our favorite office foodies and one of the trusted people we tap when we need culinary know-how. Though they claim Assistant Buyer as their role at East Fork, they went to culinary school back in the day and continue to bring their taste and perspective to the many food-centric conversations and needs inside the East Fork universe.
Here’s what Elliot had to say about their recipe:
Orange and mustard is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I prefer a really seedy stone ground variety but your favorite mustard will work just as well. For this particular recipe, I think some people would recoil at adding a baste after a dry-brine, and that's fair. It's important to like what you like. Consider this your permission to alter this recipe to your liking. The key component, for me, is incorporating flavor throughout every layer and every stage of cooking.
The beautiful thing about cooking is that any recipe can be used as a guideline: add a little more of a flavor you love, omit ones you don't, or introduce ones you wish were there. You learn a new cooking method and apply it to a flavor combination you already like, or you experiment with totally different flavor combinations using a familiar cooking method. Then these interpretations start to morph into something totally different that could become a favorite passed on to family and friends.
Orange Dry-Brined Roast Chicken
By Elliot Popoca
This isn’t a complicated recipe, but there are steps to the process. Time is required for dry-brining and roasting, but most of the work, like making the compound butter and dry brine mixture, can be done ahead of time. A digital thermometer is nice to have for checking the internal temperature of the chicken, but you can also use the general rule of thumb of approximately 20 minutes of cooking time per pound of chicken.
Ingredients:
- 1 Whole chicken, giblets removed
- 2 Cloves garlic, reserved
- 2 Rosemary sprigs, reserved
- 2 Thyme sprigs, reserved
For the Compound Butter:
- ½ c (1 stick) Butter, softened
- 1-2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2-4 tsp Rosemary, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp Thyme, roughly chopped
- Zest of ½ orange
- Zest of ½ lemon
For the Dry Brine:
- ½ tsp - 1 tsp Kosher salt per lb of bird
- To taste Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 - 4 tsp Rosemary, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp Thyme, roughly chopped
- Zest of ½ orange
- Zest of ½ lemon
For the Basting Mixture:
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup Butter, melted
- ⅛ cup Olive oil
- ⅛ cup Honey
- 1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 orange, reserve the juiced pieces
- Juice of 1 lemon, reserve the juiced pieces
Getting started:
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Pat the chicken dry.
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Make the compound butter by combining all ingredients.
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Gently lift the skin from the chicken breast and spread compound butter mixture evenly beneath.
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Make the dry brine by combining all ingredients.
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Sprinkle a generous pinch of the dry brine mixture into the cavity of the chicken.
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Rub the rest of the dry brine mixture onto all sides of the chicken, applying extra to the areas with more meat.
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Place on a sheet pan and let the chicken rest in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 8 hours, up to 72 hours.
When ready to cook:
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Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it rest for 30 minutes. While the chicken rests, preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Prepare the basting mixture by combining all ingredients. (This can also be prepared ahead of time but it's important to let the chicken rest approximately 30 minutes before cooking).
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Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the reserved juiced orange and lemon pieces, remaining sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and remaining cloves of garlic, smashed.
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Baste the chicken with half of the basting mixture and place in the preheated oven, uncovered.
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After 45 mins - 1 hr, baste the bird again with the remaining mixture and return to the oven.
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Remove the chicken from the oven when the breast registers just under 165°F and the thighs just under 175°F.
